1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to timer assemblies and, more particularly to an assembly comprising a conventional indoor type timer, and a weatherproof housing for mounting the timer outdoors.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Timers for automatically and periodically turning electrical devices and systems on and off are well known in the art. Generally speaking, such timers include a suitable enclosure in which the various components are mounted to form self-contained structures. Due to the complexity of timing devices per se, the need for skilled technicians and parts availability, the repair of timing devices can be difficult and costly.
The least costly and simplest timer is an indoor plug-in type which is programmable within a twenty-four hour time period and is limited to a single station. That is, a single lamp or other high voltage device is plugged into such a timer.
A second category of timer is an indoor timer which is electrically connected directly into a building's wiring system, as opposed to being plugged in, and is used for high voltage applications. This second type of timer is programmable either over a twenty-four hour time period or within a seven day time period, and is used for controlling high voltage mechanisms.
A third category of timers is very similar to the above discussed second type and is therefore, programmable within either a twenty-four hour or seven day time period and is available as either a single or multiple station device. The difference between these second and third types of timers is that the third type is for low voltage applications and thus requires the use of a step-down transformer.
In that both the second and third types of timers are intended for a variety of uses, they are of more-or-less standard configurations and are enclosed in non-weatherproof enclosures. For these reasons, such timers are relatively inexpensive and are usually replaced by a new timer rather than being repaired in the event of a malfunction.
A fourth category of timing devices is similar to the above discussed second category and is therefore programmable within either a twenty four hour time period or within a seven day time period. This fourth type of timer is available either as a single station or multi-station device and is provided with a weatherproof enclosure for high voltage outdoor use.
Still another category of timing devices is outdoor timers for low voltage applications for controlling low voltage electrical systems such as lighting systems, lawn sprinklers and the like. This fifth category of timer, as in the above described fourth type, is available in either a single station or multiple station configuration with either twenty-four hour or seven day programming capabilities. And, of course, this fifth type of timer must be used with a step-down transformer.
Due to the outdoor mounting requirements of the above discussed fourth and fifth categories of timing devices, they must be contained within weatherproof enclosures which result in more expensive purchasing costs for such devices in comparison to the indoor devices. The less costly outdoor timing devices, i.e. those which are programmable with a twenty-four hour time period and have single station capability, are most often replaced rather than repaired due to the above described difficulties of repair and the costs associated therewith. However, outdoor timers which are programmable over a seven day time period and have multiple station capabilities are very expensive and repair is attempted whenever possible despite the difficulty and costs for such repair.
Therefore, a need exists for a new and useful outdoor timing device which overcomes some of the problems and shortcomings relating to the difficulty or repairing and the costs associated with such repair of the prior art outdoor timing devices.